In Nadine Gordimer’s short story “Loot,” the narrator makes repeated allusions to a portion of Shakespeare’s The Tempest called “Ariel’s Song.” For your first essay, you are being asked to explain how “Ariel’s Song” is incorporated into Gordimer’s short story and, most importantly, to describe how effective her use of allusion is. Your thesis will answer the question: “How does Gordimer’s use of allusion allow her to deepen the meaning of the story she is telling”? Why is it effective (or not effective)?
Purpose
An allusion is an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly. It is an indirect or passing reference that is only meaningful if the person reading has the background knowledge to understand it. In this essay, you’ll be asked to think critically about why an author would choose to do such a thing – to bury a reference and, perhaps, to create conversation between themselves and a world of other writers beneath the surface of the text.
Prompt
In Nadine Gordimer’s short story “Loot,” the narrator makes repeated allusions to a portion of Shakespeare’s The Tempest called “Ariel’s Song.” For your first essay, you are being asked to explain how “Ariel’s Song” is incorporated into Gordimer’s short story and, most importantly, to describe how effective her use of allusion is.
Your thesis will answer the question: “How does Gordimer’s use of allusion allow her to deepen the meaning of the story she is telling”? Why is it effective (or not effective)?
You might choose to focus your analysis on how Gordimer’s use of allusion deepens her message on one of the following topics:
- Climate change
- Greed
- Global capitalism
- Death
- Power
“Ariel’s Song”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Come unto these yellow sands,
And then take hands:
Curtsied when you have, and kiss’d
The wild waves whist,
Foot it featly here and there;
And, sweet sprites, the burthen bear.
Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark.
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, Cock-a-diddle-dow.
Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them—Ding-dong, bell.
Specifications
- Minimum of 1,500 words and a maximum of 1,700 words.
- No outside sources may be used for this paper. If you want to reference our lectures, please do so. You do not need to cite them.
- One to two in-text references are required per body paragraph, including both direct quotes and paraphrases.
- Your thesis statement and body paragraphs should be written in 3rd person point of view only.
- Use the “Paragraph Structure for Close Reading” format.
- Include a properly formatted Works Cited page that contains the citation for Gordimer’s text and the supplementary synopsis.
Helpful Support
- I want to talk to you about your essay – yep, even right now! Schedule an office hours appointment with me through ConferZoom or via email. Please ask me specific questions about your draft in the body of the email so that you know how to prepare for our meeting.
- Read a synopsis of The Tempest
- Review Lecture Slides on Canvas posted under “modules.”
- Make an appointment with the Writing Center (ARC) for feedback on your draft and/or attend grammar workshops.
Due Dates
- Final Draft
- Thursday, 4/14 before 11:59pm to the “Essay #1” assignment drop box in Canvas (200 points).
Late Policy
- Late essay submissions will be deducted 1/3 of a letter grade every 24 hours. That means an A paper would become an A-, a B+ would become a B, and so on. If you have issues submitting your essay on Canvas or a crisis strikes, simply submit your essay as soon as you can. You do not need to email me to let you me know you submitted your essay late if it is 2 hours late or less.
CITATION
